Sunday, July 31, 2011

Lily Pad Inspiration challenge

Hi!

I was checking out the great Lily Pad website and saw that a new challenge had been posted! You can check it out here

(Just in case the link isn't working, here's the address you can copy and paste:
http://www.lilypad.inlinkz.com/2011/07/29/inspirational-challenge-4/ )

I immediately knew that I would use Vicky's card as my inspiration! Here's her card:


I LOVED the bright red color background and the center panel. So simple yet elegant...LOVED it!

So, here's my take on it.


I used Fired brick and barn door Distress inks for the background. Then I used the Tim Holtz ruler to add the piercing around the edges of the card. I used the Spellbinders Label 8 (I think?) for the center panel. I sponged a bit of Vintage Photo distress in the center of the label and then stamped the praying hands. I wish I knew what company made the stamp but I found this stamp years ago in the Dollar Store! One of my favorite stamps! I adhered some ribbon w/some pearls and the center panel was done. Then I stamped the sentiment from Hero Arts--and yes, it's crooked! That's what happens when you're trying to stamp and have 2 boys showing you their latest Lego creations! Oh well...Still like the card...

If you haven't played along in the challenge, it's fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blog candy from the Daily Marker!

Hi all!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I don't know if you are followers of the Daily Marker website but Kathy is amazing! I've been watching her cards for a long time now and she never ceases to amaze! So, since it'd b-day time for her and she's celebrating 2 years of her blog, she thought she'd have a give-a-way.

Check it out here:

http://thedailymarker.blogspot.com/ (sorry for the cut and paste, can't seem to get my link to work!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

MOJO201

Hi all!

Well, the mojo sketch was a bit harder for me this week. Took me many hours of thinking what I could do for the challenge. But, late last night, I had an idea. And here's what I came up with...



I started out w/some pattern paper that was nice and summery from DCWV Stack 6. Then, I stamped the palm tree and the little girl monkey. The stamps are actually in 3 different steps so you can stamp the image in different colors. The palm tree trunk was stamped first and then the leaves were a separate little stamp. Same for the monkey. The body was stamped first and then the other stamps were used for the tummy and face. Once the image was stamped, I grabbed some scrap paper and realized I had a teal scrap that would work well w/the PP. I grabbed some dollar stamps that had a bubble border and used Versamark all over the scrap. Then, I used some Perfect Pearl powder to add some shine to the bubbles. (Too bad the camera couldn't pick up the shine but in real life it looks great!) I grabbed a small tag that I punched out and placed the "Let's play" sentiment on it. I searched my ribbon collection and found the rickrack ribbon that matched the pp and I was thrilled! The ribbon almost makes the little girl monkey look like she's got a hula skirt on! :) Then, I added a couple of pearls to the ribbon and a tiny pearl on the monkey's flower clip and I was done...

Here's the sketch I used to jump the creativity!


Thanks for stopping by and thanks again for all the sweet comments!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

RCC13

It's time to get ready for Christmas! OK, not really...but w/the latest challenge over on the ribbon carousel blog, I was inspired to go w/a Christmas card! It's my first time participating in this challenge and I knew which card direction to go...

The challenge: basically do a card w/anything that comes off a spool. Easy enough! :)

So, here's my card. I used the music note stamp and embossed it w/gold powder. Then, I stamped the Christmas ornaments (these are clear stamps that are part of a holiday set. Bought them at a scrapbooking show, though, and can't find the company's name--sorry!). I cut them out, embossed them also, and colored in portions of 'em. Then I tied some gold twine to attach the ornaments and I was done! Mounted it on some red cardstock and I love the look of the card. Makes me think of singing Christmas carols, that's for sure!


If you want to play along, check them out at: http://ribboncarouselchallenge.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by...and for the sweet comments people have been leaving, too! They sure do make me smile!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Lily Pad's sketch challenge




I'm a big fan of sketches. And when I saw the latest sketch for the Lily Pad contest, I immediately knew what I was going to do w/it.

My local craft store has many bins w/$1 stamps. I had just stocked up on some bird house stamps from that bin and chose to use them for this sketch. First, I grabbed some craft-colored cardstock and free handed a branch design. Then I used my cuttlebug to put a wood grain on the branch. I wanted to add some depth to it so I used some vintage photo distress ink to add some shading and then punched some leaves to put on the branch. I then stamped the bird houses and used glaze pens to color them in. I figured a little bird should be flying around there, too, so I stamped him in and colored him in w/my glaze pen. Stamped a sentiment also from a $1 stamp. Finally, I added some glossy accents on the entrance to the bird houses and I was done!

If you haven't played around w/a sketch, it's a lot of fun! Thanks for stopping by.

Beautiful sunset muse

Hi all!

It was a beautiful weekend here in the northwest. And I LOVED seeing the sunsets. I loved it so much, in fact, that I decided to make a card depicting the beautiful sunset I was seeing.

I started out w/white cardstock. I inked up the bottom w/some vintage photo distress ink. Then I inked up the rest of the card w/mustard seed. Then, I punched a small circle and placed it where I wanted the sun to be setting. I then inked up the surrounding areas w/spiced marmalade distress inks and voila! Sunset! :) I used the Hero Arts Silhouette stamp and stamped the image 2 or 3 times w/out reinking the stamp. Finally, I grabbed some twine and I stamped the sentiment on a label I cut out and the card was done. LOVE playing around w/distress inks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Birthday greetings--using gelatos!



I'm blessed to be able to sell some cards at my husband's office. For the past few weeks he's been dropping hints that I need to restock the card supply. That gave me the perfect opportunity to play! :)

I had a great coupon for JoAnns and off I went w/my kids to see what bargain I could get. Turns out the best bargain wasn't in the scrapbooking section--it was in the kids craft section! I was glancing through the crafts w/my boys when, all of a sudden, I see GELATOS from Faber-Castell! I couldn't believe it! A whole set of 10 and they were only $9.99! Plus I had that great 50% off coupon, too! Couldn't believe my eyes! I had seen video after video of talented ladies using these cool inks and I couldn't wait to come home and play!

I started out by heat embossing the fabric image from Hero Arts. Then, I started using the light blue gelato and rubbing it all over the center of the card w/my finger. After that, I took the dark blue gelato and started working from the corners in towards the center and blending. SO FUN! SO EASY!!!! I used one of my label dies and stamped the sentiment. Decided to emboss the sentiment also and then just added a couple of blue rhinestones to complete the monochromatic look.

Gelatos are super fun--and super easy! They wash off your hands easily, too. I love the cute look of them--they look like chapsticks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

MOJO200



Well, this is a first. Although I've checked the Mojo Monday blog for many, many months this is the first time I've actually done a card for their weekly challenge. I tend to like simple cards so the sketch they put on the Mojo blog seemed extra appealing to me this week.

I started out w/some patterned paper which I slightly inked on the corners w/some vintage photo distress ink. I decided to add a strip of brown cardstock w/some pawprints heat embossed along the length of it. Then, I stamped the sentiment "happy birthday" over and over on the punched out circle shape. I used an old Stampin' up stamp for my little bear image and matted it on some more pattern paper. I added a white ribbon and tied the bow separately. For the final touch, thanks to Kristina Werner's inspiration, I added faux stitching along the card w/a white pen.

It was fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Blog candy from Happy Heart Studio

Hi!

Just a quick post to let you know that Happy Heart Studio is having a giveaway! You can find the blog here: http://happyheart-nancyljk.blogspot.com/

Nancy "took over" the Inspired by blog since Jill is at CHA. And she did a great job on the card and is offering some gifts, too! :)

Stop on by for a chance to win some cool stamps!

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Birthday time!



It was my DH's b-day yesterday. We got to enjoy sleeping in til late and then have the company of friends that had driven in to stay the night w/us on their way to Canada. The kids got to all play together (our 2 boys and their 2 girls) and we all stayed up way too late just chatting the night away!

So, here's the card I made for my hubby. He's quite the soccer fan--in fact, he was watching the Women's World Cup game while I was busy crafting the card. I won this stamp from a local craft store and I was thrilled b/c I knew I'd be using it--a lot!

I went w/patterned paper for the background and added a ribbon w/a soccer ball on it. Then I stamped the word "score" over and over as a mat for the main image. I had found a soccer ball punch in the clearance section of a local scrapbooking store so I used it to add a small border to the mat. I took the main image and stamped it. Then colored it in and added glossy accents to the soccer ball. Final details were just some white stitching using a white pen and some black stiching using a black marker. Done! :) He loved it!

So grateful for another year of life God has given my husband...He's such a blessing to me and my boys!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Thinking of you

There's nothing like chatting w/an old friend over the phone. I have a friend that moved about 6 hours away and we had the chance to catch up the other day. I hung up and realized just how much I miss her. I miss her being around. I miss seeing her playing w/my kids. Funny how emotions come up after chatting w/loved ones.

So, I decided to make a card for my friend. To be honest, my son had written a very special note to her and I thought it was the perfect excuse to also tell her how much I miss her.

I love using reverse image stamps. First, though, I took a definition stamp and stamped the white cardstock w/it. Then the fun begins! I love embossing the reversed stamped image and then using distress inks to color the image in--so easy and fun! I mounted the image on a piece of red cardstock which had been punched w/a braid punch. Then, I added a bit of twine to finish off the card and the sentiment was placed on 1/2 a label. Voila! :)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A lesson learned

I ran across this card today and just had to chuckle. It's a Valentine's Day card that I made for one of my boys. I had been working on a card for my husband and showed the card to my boys. The oldest immediately said, "where's mine?!" I didn't think he was serious. But he was! He kept asking me for his card. And he was adamant that it had to be special...Well, I didn't have much of a choice. It was time to work on a card for my son...and, truth be told, why not? I love him, too! Why not take some time to work on a card for him? So, here's the final card...It was simple--but it made him smile and that was worth the time it took!

Lesson learned...it doesn't take much to make people smile...

Monday, July 11, 2011

Fun giveaway!

I've been blogging now for just a couple of weeks...Still feels like I'm just talking to myself! :) But that's ok...it's more about being able to do something different.

In case someone has happened upon this blog, the talented Vera Yates is celebrating her blog today b/c it's reached more than 300 followers. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, here's the link!

http://lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/


It wasn't til I started using the blog that I "followed" her, but I've been visiting her blog for a long time...

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Different cards/same color combo

I think some of the hardest cards to make are sympathy cards and cards for friends that are going through a rough time. I've had to make both kinds of cards this past week. Seems like so many people are hurting right now..Can't wait for Jesus to come back and end all the suffering!

For these cards, I decided to use some pattern paper. One card has orange ribbon and the other has orange butterflies--love the color combo! This is what I came up with.




Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, July 7, 2011



This is a card I did last summer for a friend...She loves pink! And since I have 2 boys, I rarely get to handle anything pink! :) I used some pattern paper and then added 2 different color strips and voila! It was done! Well, added a bit more bling to complete the look and then off it went in the mail.

Thanks for stopping by...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

B-day card for a little boy

Our boys have birthdays that are 6 months apart. That gives me plenty of time to come up w/new cards for them. But, kid cards aren't necessarily my forte. They force me to do a lot more coloring and that's something I need to improve.

This is the card I made for my oldest when he turned 9. Cute digital image that I printed out and then colored. Added some polka dots, too.



Thanks for stopping by! :)